MGM Outspends Its Competitors in Connecticut Casino Bid

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The Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot tribal nations are preparing to begin work on the Windsor casino in a few weeks. Meanwhile, the renowned MGM Resorts International is raising its bet for the state’s lucrative gambling opportunities.

At the moment, up to $20 million worth of monthly revenue is at stake in Connecticut and this can be attributed to the offer for a Bridgeport casino as well as the fierce opposition to the East Windsor site that is within 17 miles of the $900 million MGM casino which is almost complete in Springfield, Mass.

According to a Hearst Connecticut Media review of the Office of State Ethics’ public records, MGM Resorts International upped its ante in 2017 and ended up spending over $3.8 million in ads for both TV and radio as well as in lobbying the state’s lawmakers and agencies who included Attorney General George Jepsen and Governor Dannel P. Malloy. On the other hand, even after going at it as a joint venture, the Mashantucket and Mohegan tribes spent less than $1.2 million, which would obviously give their competitors with deeper pockets an upper hand. MGM Resorts International went further and paid Ballard Partners $270,000 to be its Washington lobbyist to focus on the Department of the Interior and the White House.

While the tribes are not too happy about MGM’s progress citing the casino operator’s disregard for the protection of jobs and revenue in the state, the company’s management are of a totally different opinion;

“It has taken a concerted effort just to be part of the conversation in Connecticut,” said Bernard Kavaler, MGM’s spokesperson. “We continue to believe that an open, competitive process would be best for the state and its taxpayers, and we continue to believe that Bridgeport is the best location — in terms of jobs and economic development — for a commercial casino in Connecticut.”

MGM’s efforts are also gaining a lot of support from various lawmakers since according to Av Harris, director of legislative affairs and public policy in Bridgeport, MGM has been “very consistent and very serious the whole time about their interest in developing a major casino/entertainment facility” in the city.

Golden Nugget Online Brings Live Dealer Casino Hold’em to NJ

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Golden Nugget Atlantic City becomes the first brick-and-mortar casino in the US to launch an online live dealer Casino Hold’em poker table. Live dealer online casino games are becoming more entrenched in the New Jersey casino culture and Golden Nugget being an iGaming leader in the state, it was just a matter of time before it expanded its already polished online casino offering that includes popular titles like American Roulette, Blackjack, and Dragon Bonus Baccarat. Furthermore, all the table games that the online casino platform offers are accessible via both desktop computers and mobile devices which makes it suitable for a wide audience of table game players.

“Being the first to offer a Live Dealer version of the world’s most popular poker game in America, Casino Hold’em, shows our commitment to delivering on an innovative and world-class product to our patrons,” said Golden Nugget’s Senior Vice President and General Manager of Online Gaming, Thomas Winter.

The casino operator’s variant of live dealer Casino Hold’em was developed by Stephen Au-Yeung and builds on the popularity of the mechanics of classic Texas Hold’em while offering players an option to play against the casino’s dealers. This new live dealer offering is in partnership with renowned European casino games developer Ezugi whose popularity has been increasing significantly in the United States.

Initially, the live dealer Casino Hold’em tables will run from 0300 HRS to 0300 HRS ET from Sunday To Thursday and 1200 HRS to 0300 HRS ET on Fridays and Saturdays since the live dealer games requires the company to employ licensed and certified human casino dealers.

Evidently, even though 2018 is just a few days old, Golden Nuggets is already gearing up for a great year ahead, and an even better 2019, especially for its players. Golden Nuggets first launched live dealer games back in 2016 with a select number of live dealer games that we mentioned earlier. The company witnessed great returns from these offerings and decide to differentiate it from its other offerings in the state. Now, Golden Nugget offers a total of seven concurrent live dealer games – a number that is bound to increase with time. The casino operator’s gross revenue has been the highest in the state despite its reluctance towards participation in peer-to-peer New Jersey online poker sites. Investing in live dealer games will solidify its position as the number one place for gamblers who are attracted to its amazing collection of over 470 slots and table games.

ICE 2018: UltraPlay To Elevate Its Esports Betting Solutions

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Advanced betting solutions provider UltraPlay has announced that it will be expanding its portfolio through a premium Esports betting site offering during this year’s ICE Totally Gaming that will run in London from February 6th to February 8th.

Having been part of the iGaming industry for seven solid years, UltraPlay has what it takes to successfully expand its portfolio through the launch of its latest products which they say will offer revolutionary match-predicting systems and thus the widest odds feed in the market. Dubbed odds.gg, the system will be presented with all the latest upgrades and add-ons that UltraPlay has been working on in the past year. In addition to its most popular game titles, UltraPlay has also extended its odds feed to include such titles as Kind of Glory, Heroes of the Storm Live as well as live betting options GWENT for FIFA Interactive World Cup. Alongside the Esports betting company’s diversified catalog of 25 competitive games, it further offers over 3,000 events every month and more than 1,500 in-play events.

Last month, UltraPlay announced that GWENT, the Witcher Card Game, was to be added to its Esports betting portfolio which makes it the first online betting provider to offer betting options for the renowned card game. During the acquisition, Peter Ivanov, UltraPlay’s Head of Esports trading said that he believed that “the game holds a great potential to attract many esports punters with passion and experience in card games.

“Gwent is a perfect choice for a card game that offers endless fun to the players. The esports betting brands using UltraPlay’s products will be one step ahead of the competition providing another exciting option to their players,” he added.

Since it was founded in 2010, UltraPlay has always been very ambitious about offering innovative approaches to the online gaming industry using modern technology to provide advanced betting solutions that are focused on Esports, bitcoin solutions, sports betting, live betting and online casinos.

Former PokerStars Duo Launch Esports Betting Platform

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Lars Lien and Mike Stevens who are both former PokerStars ambassadors recently joined forces to launch a crypto-based Esports betting platform. The platform which is due to go live any time this year is going to be a Bitcoin-based startup where punters will be allowed to wager on professional Esports events. Furthermore, the platform that has been dubbed Luckbox.com, will allow users to make deposits using both in-game items and various cryptocurrencies, something that both Lien and Stevens believe will go a long way in opening up markets that are currently experiencing restrictions as far as payment services are concerned.

While a global roll-out is the ultimate goal of this endeavor, Lien and Stevens are hoping to obtain a license in the Isle of Man for the platform before they begin preparing to extend to other parts of the world. Soon, Luckbox.com will be launching an Initial Coin Offering (ICO) and the platform is already being aggressively marketed in various parts of the world including Africa. As of now, the two have raised 483.5 Bitcoin form strategic contributors and the ICO they are planning is intended to generate the remaining finances that they require to launch.

The Initial Coin Offering will revolve around the sale of a utility token that will be used on Luckbox.com and also traded by accredited investors to hold a ‘profit share’ token that will entitle the holder to about 20% of the company’s annual net income.

Luckbox.com will be issuing two tokens to its users once it goes live. The first is LuckCash which is a utility token for the platform and the second is LuckProfits which, like we mentioned earlier, gives the holder contractual rights to a share of the company’s net profits.

Lien and Stevens are among many other entrepreneurs who have seen the huge potential in emerging markets such as Esports. There is generally a whole lot to look forward to in this regard, that is, the development of smart contracts will lower transaction costs, and dispel the dependency on traditional bank accounts.

Sports Betting Concerns Revived by New Fantasy Sports Game

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There is once again a lot of buzz among gambling experts pertaining to a new daily fantasy sports game that allows users to hone in a single NFL playoff game. The question here is; is the contest drawing the fantasy sports industry closer to sports betting which is still illegal in most of the United States?

Leading fantasy sports provider, DraftKings is offering the “Showdown” variant that allows users to pick six athletes from two teams playing against each other in a real-life football game. They get to rack up fantasy points based on certain statistics such as receptions, touchdowns and yards passing, rushing or receiving.

However, the 2006 federal law that effectively outlawed online gambling but gave rise to daily fantasy sports requires that daily fantasy sports contents are based off the performances of athletes in “multiple real-world” sports events and not just single games. This particular detail has been the reason behind raised concerns regarding how regulators and fantasy sports companies such as DraftKings operate.

“This new game continues the industry trend of trying to get as close as possible to single-game betting,” said Keith Whyte, executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling.

He further mentioned that the games have in many ways blurred the largely fictional line between daily fantasy sports and sports betting. DraftKings, on the other hand, argue that the Unlawful Gambling Enforcement Act only applies in cases where there is an underlying violation of state gambling statutes first – so far, there has not been any objection to the competition by any of the states.

“This act is basically irrelevant. Everything defaults to state law now,” said Anthony Cabot, DraftKings outside legal counsel, referring to the federal law that the industry has long cited for justifying its existence. “If it’s not in violation of state law, then there’s no violation of the federal act. It’s a big red herring.”

Meanwhile, the United States Supreme Court is still weighing New Jersey’s bid to overturn the sports betting ban that has been in effect in all but four states. If the ruling is favorable, the numerous debates that are popping up in regards to daily fantasy sports will be definitely be muted.

Revel Casino Finally Sold, Could Be Reopened in the Summer

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Revel Casino, Atlantic City’s biggest casino flop is getting back in the game under new ownership and a new name. In an official statement on Monday, Colorado developer Bruce Deifik announced that he had purchased the former Revel Casino hotel from Glenn Straub for 200 million. Deifik plans to reopen the casino this summer which also happens to be around the same time that the nearby former Trump Taj Mahal casino will be reopened under Hard Rock ownership.

The casino will be reopened with a new name, Ocean Resorts Casino, and it is anticipating to create over 3,000 local jobs. Deifik and group are also planning to bring back restaurants that were successfully operating in the casino before it closed down while at the same time offering some new venues like a top Asian noodle bar and a high-end players club.

“We are incredibly excited that we were able to take advantage of the opportunity to acquire this tremendous property at a time when Atlantic City is seeing great economic strides,” Deifik said. “Now the city has a number of exciting new projects with our property and the Hard Rock, as well as Stockton University’s new campus and the expansion of the medical center.”

For months, Floridian businessman Glenn Straub denied that there was any deal in the works for the sale of the property. He had acquired the $2.4 billion property for $82 million in bankruptcy court back in August 2015 and it was even rumored that he was planning to reopen it himself. Straub confirmed that a deal with Bruce Deifik and Moody’s Investors Service had been closed on January 4th.

The developers will, of course, face a number of significant challenges in their attempt to revive the casino. Moody’s mentioned in the statement that the project may struggle to attract a big enough slice of Atlantic City’s diminished number of casino lovers since it will be repaying debts amid tight competition from other properties – at least at the first stages. This report was based on Deifik’s plan to borrow about $255 million for acquisition and renovation costs.

Analysts Raise Concerns

There has been a lot of chatter among analysts who are mixed on whether the seven already operational Atlantic City casinos can handle competition from the two more operators, that is the former Revel Casino and the former Taj Mahal. Some analysts think that the two may heart smaller casinos and even lead to their closure. Others are quite optimistic about the new offerings, pointing out that they have the potential of attracting off-state visitors and gamblers.

Blockchain Could Redefine the Sports Betting Experience

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Since 2017, a plethora of sports betting sites and apps have been shifting towards offering bettors the opportunity to place bets discretely from anywhere using their smartphones. The convenience that this provides has been a great marketing move that has paid off handsomely by attracting a staggering number of new users to online sports betting. However, there have been challenges when it comes to payment systems especially when it comes to traditional payment services and digital wallets who have always been circumspect about supporting online gambling. While this would have represented a dead end of sorts in the past, the utilization of specialized payment gateways in facilitating bankroll funding and payouts in online casinos took over.

Even though these services can be thought of as saviors to the online gambling scene, their involvement has in many ways amplified the risks of failure and fraud. The aforementioned payment gateways and services are always under threat from hackers and other cyber-criminals. Even handicapper sites and services that usually offer paid analyses to less savvy bettors do not always produce the wins that they promise to gamblers.

To address these issues, stakeholders in the online gambling industry are looking into blockchain technology. Several efforts are already being made in order to create better online betting experiences. Just to mention a few, HEROcoin is an effort that aims to decentralize sports betting, BlitzPredict through its aggregation service intends to provide gamblers with trustworthy insights and Electroneum’s token is designed to be used a digital currency in online gambling sites.

Facilitation of Easier Funding and Payouts

Unlike traditional means, payments made using blockchain are much faster as the tokens do not need to be routed through several financial institutions or clearing houses. In essence, this gives the users ultimate power over how and when they use their money. Furthermore, Electroneum which is a relatively new cryptocurrency has set a pace for allowing easy estimation of digital currencies and fiat currency by limiting its token to two decimal places.

Transparency

Blockchain powered platforms such as HEROcoin are offering great ways of achieving transparency and fairness by making betting a peer-to-peer and decentralized activity. Not only do users get to trace the flow of money and the terms but they also are allowed to define the conditions of wagers through smart contracts.

Trustworthy Insights

Services like BlitzPredict promote quality insights by allowing analytic enthusiasts to share their prediction models with other users. High performing models in BlitzPredict’s framework are rewarded with the platform’s own token which can then be used to place bets using the platform. This kind of rewards mechanism encourages gamblers to make data-driven decisions rather than relying on bad advice or hunches.

Metal Casino Signs Ozzy Osbourne as Brand Ambassador

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Metal rock superstar Ozzy Osbourne has signed a new deal with the renowned Metal Casino to be its brand casino – he will also be a part owner of the casino.  Metal Casino’s major focus is on metal fans and thus most, if not all, of their offerings give players a harder rush with prizes that will definitely appeal to rock lovers.

Speaking on his new venture into the casino world, Ozzy who is considered the “Godfather of Metal” said, “The guys at Metal Casino told me that their brand was all about being true, relevant and dedicated to the customer and that really resonated with me. To me, that translated as keeping it real, keeping it original, and doing it all for your fans, and that’s all I’ve been trying to do my whole life.”

The crew at Metal Casino are also just as excited about the partnership as Ozzy is especially because it is perhaps the biggest casino sponsorship deal in the world right now. While the casino is already considered to be the world’s biggest, boldest and most hardcore online casino, being backed by the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer will see it soar to even greater heights in the online casino world.

About Metal Casino

Metal Casino was launched in August last year with the mission to be more than just a regular online casino – the founders envisioned it as a platform that would unite the global community of metal lovers and casino enthusiasts. Their partnerships with some of the biggest names in hard rock like Megadeath’s David Ellefson, Guns N Roses’ Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ and Anthrax’s Scott Ian has elevated their status in both metal music and casino circles. The casino kicked off with all the right notes including having a catalog filled with heavy metal themed promotions and games such as Motorhead and Guns N Roses slot games. It further housed a very tempting Merchandise room where players can find concert tickets and other Metal Casino apparelat the moment there are tickets for Guns N Roses and Iron Maiden.

Among the apparel that fans and players can find on the site’s Merchandise Room is David Ellefson’s signed Jackson bass guitar. While Ozzy Osbourne does not have any official merchandise on the site, there is a likelihood that tickets, as well as signed apparel from his farewell tour, will be added to the Merchandise room soon. Some diehard fans are even speculating the appearance of toy bats signed by Ozzy in the Merchandise room soon. We will just have to wait and see.

19 PSPC Platinum Passes to Be Awarded All Through January

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A new year is finally here and looking back at the previous month, there are a lot of announcements that were made then that are going to make a huge impact in the near future. One of the biggest and most exciting developments in the world of poker was the unveiling of PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em Championship which is better known as the PokerStars Players Championship (PSPC). Billed as one of the biggest tournaments in the history of poker, the championship is scheduled for January 2019 and will attract a huge number of poker enthusiasts from all parts of the world. There are so many great things to look forward to in regards to the championship with the biggest highlight being the first-place prize which amounts to a whopping $9 million after PokerStars adds in an extra $1 million to it – PokerStars will contribute the remaining $8 million gradually before the end of 2018.

Starting this month (January 2018) and all through the year PokerStars will be giving away over 300 PSPC Platinum Passes each being worth $30,000 and including the $25,000 buy-in, about $2,000 for travel expenses as well as accommodation at the Atlantis Resorts where the championship will be hosted. This month will see 19 Platinum Passes fall into the hands of lucky participants in a range of online and live events that the renowned poker powerhouse will be hosting. What better way to begin a new year than getting to win one of this Platinum Passes which also gives you an assurance of beginning the next year (2019) with a bang. Here is how you can get a hold of these Platinum Passes:

From Online Events

  • Winter Series Main Event winners (December 25, 2017 – January 7, 2018) – 4 Platinum Passes.
  • Winter Series All-in Shootout winner January 8, 2018 – 1 – Platinum Pass.
  • Monthly Sunday Cashers Final winner February 3, 2018 – 1 Platinum Pass.

From Live Tournament

  • Italian Poker Open January 3-8, 2018 – 1 Platinum Pass.
  • ACOP Platinum Series 20 January 5-14, 2018 – 1 Platinum Pass.
  • PCA Bahamas 2018 January 6-14, 2018 – 5 Platinum Passes.
  • PokerStars MEGASTACK Ulster January 12 -14, 2018 – 1 Platinum Pass.
  • PokerStars Festival London January 22-29, 2018 – 3 Platinum Passes.
  • BSOP SAO Paulo January 25 -30, 2018 – 2 Platinum Passes.

Good Luck!

2017’s Biggest Casino Mergers and Acquisitions

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This year was a memorable one for the casino industry with various parts of the industry being affected by one thing or the other. Mergers and acquisitions were some of the major highlights for the multi-billion-dollar industry. While we got to see some of the most notable conglomerates from Las Vegas sell off properties and restructure their portfolios, some other renowned gaming operators joined forces with manufacturers with one of the amalgamations falling short of the expectations when a key stockholder thwarted the union. Obviously, 2018 will begin on quite a different note from what we experienced at the beginning of 2017.

Caesars Entertainment’s Big Year

Nevada-based gaming corporation faired on very well this year thanks to the stakes it had in all the entities that were part of 2017’s biggest merger. In October, Caesars which owns and operates more than 50 casinos and hotels in the US and other parts of the globe announced that it was finally out the woods in regards to Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection – this had been dubbed the ‘largest and most complex bankruptcy in a generation.’ The gaming power-house merged two of its operating entities and then it formed a real estate investment fund (REIT).

The agreement allows Caesars Entertainment to keep operating the gaming floors as well as maintaining ownership of most of the company’s resorts. The real estate investment fund (REIT) will, however, take ownership of 18 properties that including Caesars Palace Las Vegas. The REIT is expected to lease gaming the gaming floors back to Caesars and pay creditors who were not paid during Caesar’s bankruptcy.

Other Headliners

Another merger that made the headlines this year was between Connecticut’s Native American gaming operators, the Mohegan Sun and Mashantucket tribes who joined forces to build a satellite facility in a bid to outcompete MGM Springfield, a satellite casino expected to launch in 2018.

June saw yet another key transaction for the casino industry when Tavern, slot route, and renowned casino operator Golden Entertainment jointly acquired American Casino and Entertainment. The $850 million deal is widely praised for the great things that came after it including putting two Arizona Charlie’s casinos and the Stratosphere under the Golden banner.